In what is believed to be a first for NCAA head coaches, Syracuse University head football coach Fran Brown has signed with a sports marketing and management agency with the goal of promoting himself.
As reported by CNY Central, NETWORK announced the agreement with Brown earlier this week, stating the agency aims to "build his brand and expand his influence both on and off the field."
Brown is NETWORK's first coaching client. The agency will work with Brown to explore media and merchandising opportunities with organizations that fit his values.
“I’m thrilled to work with NETWORK and take the next step in building my personal brand, exploring new partnership opportunities and business ventures,” Brown stated in a NETWORK press release issued Monday. “This relationship will allow me to share my approach to coaching and leadership more broadly, while also connecting with companies and organizations that share my values.”
Doug Scott, chief strategy officer at NETWORK, says that Brown was a desirable candidate to NETWORK because of his unique approachability in comparison to the rest of the coaching landscape.
"It's his dynamic personality," said Scott. "He's down to earth, he cares, he rolls up his sleeves. There are a lot of coaches out there that are unapproachable; because they're head coaches." To see a young coach like Fran, really in the wild west of college football, be that accessible and have the personality and philosophy that he has, he became attractive."
According to CNY Central, the partnership was facilitated by David B. Falk, an NBA agent and graduate of Syracuse University. Falk's name is a permanent fixture at SU on the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
Scott says that NETWORK met with Brown about a potential partnership as early as June of 2024.
"David was very excited about Coach Brown coming up to Syracuse," said Scott. "After meeting Coach Brown, he said "we need to build his brand, we need to build his presence off of the field"...he reached out and asked me if I would go up and meet Coach Brown with him. We went up there, if I'm not mistaken, last June. Immediately, I could feel the energy and the passion."
Scott believes the partnership puts Brown at the forefront of a trend that will catch on among college head coaches.
"I do think you're going to see more head coaches follow suit and better understand their marketing strategy," he said. "Even when they do press conferences, there's marketing happening in that press conference relative to the visibility that they're getting, from College GameDay and SportsCenter, and other media outlets."
